The Independent National Electoral Commission has charged security agencies to intensify planning, intelligence gathering and inter-agency coordination ahead of the Federal Capital Territory area council elections and by-elections in Rivers and Kano states scheduled for February 21.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, made the call during a meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security in Abuja, stressing that early preparation remains critical to delivering peaceful and credible polls.
He said the close of campaigns on February 19 places greater responsibility on security agencies to enforce electoral laws, prevent thuggery, curb vote-buying and protect voters and election officials.
Amupitan said administrative preparedness alone cannot guarantee credible elections without effective security coordination, urging constant communication, rapid response and professionalism, especially in identified flashpoints.
He commended security agencies for their role in ensuring a peaceful Anambra off-cycle governorship election, which produced a winner on the first ballot, and called for similar standards in the forthcoming polls.
He also urged early and sustained security engagement ahead of the Ekiti and Osun governorship elections and the 2027 general elections, noting that elections lose credibility when citizens feel unsafe. Amupitan disclosed that INEC would soon commence a nationwide voter revalidation exercise, alongside continuous voter registration, and said robust security support would be required to protect facilities, personnel and citizens.
